Christmas time is an extremely popular time of year for people to get married, and if you’re going to a bridal shower or wedding reception, consider some of these particularly unique Christmas wedding gift ideas that are a twist on the original ones most people buy.

One of the loveliest and most unique Christmas wedding gift ideas I’ve seen so far involves buying the bride and groom especially nice embroidered stockings, made of fine material like silk. Have their initials or just their last name’s first initial on the stocking, in a big, pretty design.

If you’d like to help the new couple celebrate their first Christmas together, buy them champagne glasses. Have either their wedding date placed on them, or a nice saying such as the year with “First Christmas Together” imprinted into the glass. Do be sure to buy high quality glasses so they hold up well, and even consider adding a nice bottle of champagne with them as well.

f you’re not too close to the bride and groom and don’t want to buy anything too expensive, try buying some upper end glass ornaments. Clear ornaments look the most elite and elegant, much more so than colored. Have their names or initials placed on the ornaments, along with a special date or sentiment of their wedding. Most couples that get married will get several of these, but they’ll always appreciate another ornament to hang on their tree as a reminder of their special day.

Pine Cone Decorations & Details

A pretty pine cone can become a simple place card holder or garland (spray gold for an extra festive feel) amd be used for table decorations and wedding cake decorations. Other cheap and cheerful decoration ideas include gold sprayed leaves, cinnamon and natural greenery.

Simple Candle Holders

Used spray painted wine bottles paired with pillar candles (Tiger & Ikea are great for cheap candles of all shapes and sizes) to create a cosy, inexpensive winter wedding look. If you have candle holders in your home don't be afraid to mismatch these across your venue too.

Simple Christmas Cake Toppers

Add a subtle festive feel to proceedings with a cute and seasonal cake topper. For the ultimate budget option check out our sparkling DIY Best Day Ever Wedding Topper, add some fresh winter fruits covered in icing sugar or a cute festive animal topper.

Whether you are the bride or groom or one of the special guests invited to share the sacred day, consider these options before attending a November wedding.

Whether you live in Texas or Chicago, a wedding in November is most likely going to be a bit chilly.

Women

If you’re shopping for something new, try a rich jewel-toned dress or jumpsuit. Pair your favorite patent leather pointy-toe heels with a deep burgundy or emerald silk dress. The beauty of jewel tones is that they make everyone’s skin glow! If your skin tone is light, opt for a powerful deep blue; if it’s medium, try a sparkling emerald; and if it’s dark, try a ruby red. A smoky brown with a warm gray undertone is also known to look amazing on every shade of skin!

Go for a midi- or full-length dress. If you have your heart set on a shorter, flirtier number, grab your favorite pair of tights. They’re an easy solution for a little more coverage during a chilly reception. Play with the opacity and design, and don’t forget to think about the kind of shoe you’ll need to make them work.

Men

Fall weddings can be hard to dress for since the weather can be so unpredictable, that's why the most important thing to remember is to dress in layers.

For men, try mixing and matching textures and patterns for a cozy look that doesn't look shabby or grungy. Pair a wool coat with a silk tie, and don't be afraid to wear some color! Just look at the invitation for hints of the couple's wedding colors so you don't end up looking like a member of the bridal party.

A stylish man can't go wrong with a sophisticated wool suit. This sleek number will get you through any wedding on the bride's best-dressed list. The rumors are true: charcoal is the new black. Dress up using charcoal and you will be good to go.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving and Christmas are times reserved for family. And once you get married, your family grows. With that growth, your obligations expand. Many couples rotate whose family they spend the special holidays with each year. If they suddenly receive a wedding invitation a few months ahead of Thanksgiving, it can throw the balance of everything into a tailspin. Here are some pros and cons to consider:

Pros

Thanksgiving can be a fun theme to play with at your wedding! We had clients from Chicago who had a "Pie-Stravaganza" in lieu of a wedding cake at their Thanksgiving wedding. Yes, there was fabulous pumpkin pie on the menu, but there were also seven other flavors to choose from. And who doesn't love pie?

The size of an out-of-control guest list can be seriously reduced by inviting your friends to spend an important holiday away from their families. Some of your friends won't even consider it. If you can't afford a big wedding but don't want to leave people off the guest list, a Thanksgiving weekend wedding is a great way to get a lot more people to decline the invite.

Whether or not you choose to host your wedding at a hotel, out-of-town guests will likely need a place to stay. The fall and winter often means lower rates and has more availability, which usually means all of your wedding guests are able to stay in the same place.

Cons

This might seem like a pro at first (and some may still consider it one!), but the fact that Thanksgiving is a truly American holiday means that the entire country will be celebrating. Many families have deep traditions and how they celebrate Thanksgiving is often one of them.By hosting a wedding over Thanksgiving weekend, you're asking your guest to change their usual traditions.

Airfares are outrageous for Thanksgiving week. Easily as bad, if not worse, than Christmas and Spring Break. If a lot of your guests will have to travel to your wedding, you have to take that into consideration. Everybody knows Thanksgiving is one of the most heavily-travelled days of the year.

Wedding vendors have families too, so don't look for big discounts even if you're getting married someplace that is supposed to be in "off-season, but you'll pay to have them servicing your wedding while their entire family is sitting at home enjoying turkey together.

Wedding Favors are one of the few details that are not necessarily a must-have, though they can be a nice addition to your big day. When deciding on whether you should have a wedding favor for your 2018 nuptials or not, think about an item that your guests will really enjoy – something delicious to snack on or music to listen to on the way home – and how much money you can allocate in your budget to it.

Edible wedding favors are always in good taste (sorry, couldn't resist!), and fall is the best time of year to jump on this trend. In-season fruits like pomegranates lend a pop of color to each place setting, while candied apples would delight any guest. Cute bottles of maple syrup or local honey perfectly fit the season. Mini donuts or pie-on-a-stick are surefire hits, and DIY s'mores packages or mix-your-own hot chocolate cones are a sweet treat for guests to take home.

Your reception site sets the stage for the entire party. Think about your wedding style, your guest list size and the general mood you want to set as you tour venues.

Bring your décor to new heights—literally. The space between the tabletops and ceiling is really being taken advantage of. After all, if you can't build additional square footage onto your reception space, build up! If your wedding theme is more formal, go for tall candles and ornate candelabras. If you want to keep things rustic and natural, bring the outdoors in with leaf-adorned branches.

Probably the single most popular fall wedding theme is autumn leaves. After all, if you live in an area that experiences a bright and vibrant fall season, leaves are all around. They can also be a budget-friendly and eco-friendly way to decorate your tables.

If there’s one thing that can make or break a wedding for a guest, it’s the food. When guests travel far and wide to dedicate a day—or weekend—to your celebration of love, a crowd-pleasing menu is a surefire way to make their time enjoyable.

Creative food and drink stations are having a moment. We're not just talking dessert bars here—we're talking gourmet coffee stands, passed appetizers, build-your-own taco bars and even barbeque sauce stations. Wedding décor and attire aside, this is one of the best ways to personalize your reception and share a truly unique experience with your guests. Lean on seasonal, local flavors to get the best possible flavors.

The options are endless! For a brunch wedding, you can’t go wrong with a bacon bar or waffle bar (with choice of toppings of course). For Southern nuptials, we love an old-fashioned biscuit bar with flavored jams or a pie station. Cheese and charcuterie stations, as well as a raw bar, have a timeless and universal appeal, while popcorn bars, ice cream stations, and hot cocoa bars bring a whimsical touch. These ideas don’t need to be confined to appetizers and/or the main course—use them in lieu of the cake for a non-traditional feel. Can anyone say donut bar or cupcake station? We’re all about the sweets.

No matter which foods you want to specialize, the trick to nailing a delicious food bar is providing different flavors or varieties of what’s on display.

As leaves turn and pumpkins arise on curbs across the nation, brides everywhere are commencing the planning process for the biggest day of their lives during one of the year's most adored seasons. With fall, comes rich oranges and subtle reds as well as a departure from reception ice cream trucks and the welcoming of grand fire pits for post-ceremony s'mores. And it's an opportune time for the most memorable photographs. The shift in fall trends is subtle year-to-year, yet each annual autumnal period brings a fresh take on crisp morning nuptials and cool evening celebrations.

"Greet your guests with a seasonal libation—spiked or non-alcoholic—to kick off the festivities," suggests Jacin Fitzgerald when listing some of the season's latest drink trends. "When the temperatures start to drop, a warm cup of cider not only provides comfort, but the scent evokes the feeling of autumn," Jacin recalls. "Consider a spiked apple cider + bourbon cocktail as a signature drink that guests will remember long after the big day." A chic sugarcoated rim also provides a photo-worthy serving platter of whimsy for guests to enjoy.

Remember that boutonnieres are to be attached to the left lapel of the suit jacket or tuxedo. If attaching the buttonhole directly to the lapel, you should be careful because it can cause the lapel to droop.Some high end suits include special loops that are there to hold the stem in place. Alternatively, make sure that you secure the boutonniere properly to the actual jacket and not just the lapel.

Finally , don’t forget to always choose flowers that will last long. Flowers like tulips are known for being more delicate and particularly thirsty. Boutonnieres need to spend several hours without water and the last thing you want is a wilted flower on your lapel in most of your wedding photos! Ask your florist about their suggestions since they know which flowers do well without water as well as those that should not be used in this way.

Firstly, consider the colour scheme and theme of the wedding. Take a look at the bride’s bouquet and the bridesmaids’ bouquets for inspiration. Usually, if your bridal bouquet includes a particular focal flower (like a rose or lily), it’s safe to use this flower for your buttonholes. The groom’s buttonhole can be different from those of the groomsmen but they should all have the same colour scheme. In other words, the groom’s buttonhole could include a charming mini calla lily and the groomsmen’s boutonnieres can use roses instead.

Boutonnieres are not supposed to take up too much space. In many cases, they consist of just a flower or a flower with a leaf or two. No matter what kind of flower or flowers you choose, it’s important that you don’t use large flowers. For example, mini calla lilies are great but you cannot use the regular size flower because it will look completely out of place.

Remember that boutonnieres are to be attached to the left lapel of the suit jacket or tuxedo. If attaching the buttonhole directly to the lapel, you should be careful because it can cause the lapel to droop.Some high end suits include special loops that are there to hold the stem in place. Alternatively, make sure that you secure the boutonniere properly to the actual jacket and not just the lapel.

Finally , don’t forget to always choose flowers that will last long. Flowers like tulips are known for being more delicate and particularly thirsty. Boutonnieres need to spend several hours without water and the last thing you want is a wilted flower on your lapel in most of your wedding photos! Ask your florist about their suggestions since they know which flowers do well without water as well as those that should not be used in this way.